A Charming Thanksgiving
by kirauza343
Summary: Well all know that Henry has a twisted family tree. So what happens when Thanksgiving rolls around and everyone has to sit around the same table and share a meal? A bit of fluff, with Snowing and Rumbelle for certain, possibly others as I continue.
1. Operation Turkey pt 1

**This was inspired by Charming's comment about Thanksgiving after he learned who Henry's father and grandfather were. This is set once everything has quieted down, a few months after recent events. Belle has her memories back, Regina is trying to redeem herself again, Mary Margaret's heart is snow white, and Tamara and Owen are history. Pretty fluffy, definite Rumbelle and Snowing, and possibly some teases for others such as Swan Thief.**

* * *

One week before Thanksgiving

"Alright kid, are you ready for school?" Emma asked.

"Yeah," the brown-headed kid replied with a smile. "I can't wait for Thanksgiving," he added, causing Emma to pause for a moment.

"That is next week isn't it," She said frowning.

"What are you two talking about?" Mary Margaret asked perkily as she fixed breakfast with David.

"Thanksgiving," Henry said, excitement showing in his voice. "So who's coming over?" he asked.

Emma looked up at her parents for a response. Mary Margaret walked out of the kitchen first, followed by David, and it was her who spoke first. "Um, well, since Neal is still in town we figured he'd want to spend Thanksgiving with his son," she said cautiously, trying to gauge Emma's reaction. Emma shrugged. She and Neal had been reconnecting these past few months, so she didn't mind his coming. Mary Margaret hesitated a moment before continuing. "And if Neal's coming we should invite Mr. Gold and Belle. We don't want those two to celebrate Belle's first Thanksgiving alone," she finished.

Emma let out a small laugh and crossed her arms. "And while we're at it, let's invite Regina," she said sarcastically. She felt a twinge of guilt when she saw the disappointment and sadness and Henry's eyes.

"She's my mom too," Henry said quietly.

"He has a point. She raised him," David said reluctantly.

"And I think Regina is truly trying to change. I say we should give her a chance," Mary Margaret added. Emma sighed in defeat.

"So we'll have Henry's birth mother and father, his adoptive mother, his grandfathers, and his natural and step grandmothers. Am I missing anyone?" Emma asked. She still had a hard time keeping the family tree straight.

"Well, Belle isn't my step grandmother yet. She hasn't married Mr. Gold yet," Henry said smiling.

"And since Regina is my stepmother, she is also Henry's step great-grandmother," Mary Margaret added teasingly.

"And who exactly is going to invite everyone?" Emma asked. The idea of trying to convince Mr. Gold or Regina to come to a Thanksgiving dinner was absurd.

"Snow and I will take care of Belle and Gold," David said, earning a nod from his wife.

"Belle will be easy to convince. Plus, she'll be able to convince Gold come," Mary Margaret said.

"Regina's picking me up from school today, so I'll ask her then. I don't think she'll refuse if I ask her," Henry said.

"Which leaves me with Neal," Emma concluded.

"We need a code name for our mission. How about…Operation Turkey?" Henry suggested, meeting no objections from any of the adults. "Operation Turkey it is! Everybody knows their job right?" he asked.

Emma laughed and looked at the nearest clock. "Yeah, and your job is to go to school. Come on kid," Emma said chasing him out the door. "I'll see you two later," she added to her parents as she shut the door.

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" David mused. Both smelled something burning and Mary Margaret gasped before rushing over to the stove.

"Well there goes breakfast," she mumbled as she removed the burnt mess from the stove.

"Get dressed and we'll head down to Granny's," David said giving her a quick kiss on the lips. "We can also stop by the library on our way home. Belle should be there until about noon, and I'd much rather ask her than Gold," he added.

Mary Margaret smiled and gave him another kiss. "This certainly won't be a boring Thanksgiving!"

* * *

Ruby looked up when she heard the door to her Granny's Diner open. "Snow! Charming!" She exclaimed, pleasantly surprised to see her friends.

"Hey Red! Can we get the usual?" Mary Margaret asked.

Ruby nodded. "Of course. So what brings you two by?" she asked. While she knew exactly what they wanted, she was also surprised. The happy couple didn't come in for breakfast much anymore.

"We burned breakfast," David said.

"We burned breakfast because we were trying to figure out what to do about Thanksgiving," Mary Margaret explained.

Ruby nodded in understanding. "Trying to deal with your messed up family?" she asked. It was no secret who Henry's father was, which made for an interesting family.

"Exactly," David said.

"Well, good luck with that," Ruby said, turning her attention to her other customers.

As the couple waited for their food, the door to Granny's opened. Mary Margaret and David turned around when they heard a familiar cane hit the ground. "Mr. Gold!" Mary Margaret exclaimed.

"Mary Margret, David," Gold said politely. To David and his wife, Mr. Gold appeared to be in a surprisingly good mood. David glanced at his wife, wondering if they should go ahead and ask him about Thanksgiving and received a nod from his wife. Mary Margaret turned to Mr. Gold. "Mr. Gold," she started at the same time Ruby said "Mr. Gold! What can I get for you?"

"I just want to check in on the order I phoned in earlier," Gold stated.

Ruby disappeared for a moment. "Everything's all set! They'll be ready by 11:45 like you wanted," she said when she reappeared. Gold breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you," Gold said.

"Any time. Good luck by the way," Ruby said, a huge grin spreading across her face. David raised an eyebrow at the peculiar exchange taking place. As Ruby went to grab David and Mary Margaret's food, Gold turned his attention to the young couple. "Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked politely.

Mary Margaret paused for a moment. If they wanted to invite him and Belle, they needed to do it now. The last thing Mary Margaret and David needed was to make it seem obvious that they'd rather ask Belle. "Actually, we were wondering, would you and Belle like to join us for Thanksgiving dinner?" she asked, deciding to just get it over with. She was surprised when Gold appeared to think it over.

"I'll talk to Belle about it," Gold said, giving a small smile. "Good day," he added before stepping out of the diner.

"Well that went very well," Mary Margaret said, surprised.

"Hey Ruby, what's got him in such a good mood?" David asked the waitress handing them their food.

A huge grin spread across Ruby's face. "That's a secret," she teased. When two sets of disbelieving eyes stared back at her, she threw her hands up. "Sorry, he swore me to secrecy. It's nothing bad if that's what you're thinking," Ruby said, leaving the two in peace.

David shrugged. "At least we don't have to track him or Belle down after this," he said.

Mary Margaret laughed. "We'll have to tell Henry that we did our part of Operation Turkey!"


	2. Operation Turkey pt 2

**Thanks for all of the reviews! Here's a special treat to finish off the first part of Operation Turkey. I think this chapter turned out much better, even if it starts off a bit more serious. Don't worry, it'll lighten up soon! Reviews are always great, and if someone seems a bit out of character don't hesitate to let me know. I've changed the Code Name for the operation when I realized that Turkey was a bit more appropriate for the occasion. The last chapter has been edited with these changes, but let me know if I missed any!**

* * *

Emma had just finished a patrol and walked in the station when she saw Neal waiting for her. "You know, with how much you're in here I might as well make you a deputy. It would make my life easier," she said.

"I'm leaving soon," Neal confessed softly. Emma sighed.

"Look, you said that a few months ago. If you plan on leaving, then leave," she said bluntly. She knew that if he decided to leave, none of them would know until it was too late.

Neal ran his hands through his hair and sighed. "Well, on one hand, I don't want to leave Henry without a father, but-" he started before getting cut off by Emma.

"If you didn't want to leave Henry fatherless, you wouldn't have abandoned me that night," Emma pointed out, but flinched as Neal winced. She knew it was a hit below the belt, and Neal already explained why he left. He also apologized anytime someone brought it up.

"I really am sorry about that. But things are still a bit tense with my papa," Neal said. Emma noticed that both Neal and his father were pretty good about avoiding each other. They wanted to talk to each other, but neither could work up the guts to make the first move. She might be able to convince him to stay for good once those two patched up their relationship.

"Well, what are your plans for Thanksgiving?" Emma asked. If Mary Margaret and David managed to convince Gold to come, there might be a chance for the father-son pair.

Neal shrugged. "I don't have any," he said simply.

"Well, now you do. Come have Thanksgiving with us," Emma said.

"So who exactly is us?" Neal asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just family. For sure there will be me, Henry, Mary Margaret, and David," Emma said. It certainly wasn't a lie. She had no idea if they would be able to convince Gold or Regina to come, and technically, those two were family.

"I don't know. Your father doesn't like me much and I don't know him or your mother too well. I don't want to make things awkward," Neal said.

Emma didn't think Neal would be the one that needed convincing, so she decided to play her ace. "Henry will be real disappointed if you don't come. Besides, this is the perfect chance to get to know my parents," she pointed out.

Neal gave a low chuckle. "The old guilt-trip huh? Fine, I suppose it'll be more fun than moping around. It will certainly be more entertaining," he admitted.

Emma laughed. "You have no idea."

* * *

Henry raced outside the moment the bell rang and saw a familiar car waiting for him. Without a second thought he jumped right in the car. "Why hello Henry," Regina said with a slight chuckle. "Did you have a good day at school," she asked, a smile forming on her lips.

"School was all right. What are you doing on Thanksgiving?" Henry asked. The question came out of nowhere to Regina and she was caught off guard.

"I'm not sure," she said carefully.

"Well, would you like to have Thanksgiving with us?" Henry asked. Regina was pleasantly surprised and very shocked. She was on better terms with David, Mary Margaret, and Emma, but she didn't think they were friendly enough to invite her for Thanksgiving dinner. It took Regina a moment to gather her thoughts to answer.

"I'd love to," She finally answered. Had they forgiven her for all the wrong things she had done? Hell, Regina wasn't sure if she had forgiven Snow for causing her to lose Daniel and her mother. But this could be a good start in the right direction. As she pondered why she was being asked, she pulled out from the school.

"Sweet!" Henry said smiling. He wondered if the others had any luck asking their guests to dinner.

"Who all will be there?" Regina asked. She assumed it would just be the five of them, but it didn't hurt to ask.

"Me, David, Mary Margaret, and Emma for sure. Mr. Gold, Belle, and Neal might be joining us too," Henry admitted. "Is that okay? Because I still want you to come," he added hastily.

Regina thought it over for a moment. She expected the first four, though that would be awkward considering their history. Regina had never been on the best of terms with Gold, but both of them were trying to be better people. Belle was harmless even though she remembered when Regina imprisoned her. She didn't know much about Neal except what everyone knew, that he was Gold's son and Henry's father. Regina also knew that his relationship with Gold was rocky at best, and she realized that if both of them were there, it would be less awkward for her to be there as well. "That sounds fine," Regina said, excited at the prospect of being with her son on Thanksgiving and not being the most out of place person at the dinner.

"Really?" Henry asked in disbelief.

Regina laughed. "You seem surprised," she noted.

"I didn't think it would be so easy to get you to come," Henry admitted.

"Well, you're my son, and I want to be able to spend time with you on Thanksgiving," Regina said honestly. Regina pulled over at the Charming residence and Henry hopped out. "I'll see you later Henry," she said smiling.

"See you mom," Henry said smiling.

And that one little moment, that one little word from Henry, made Regina glad she had given up magic, given up vengeance, and given up evil.

* * *

Henry walked in the door to see Mary Margaret and David in the kitchen over a list. "Hey guys! How did Operation Turkey go?" he asked, practically bouncing off the walls. The two laughed.

"Well, we talked to Gold and he said he'd talk to Belle about it," David said, causing Mary Margaret to giggle.

"And he just called us an hour ago in a very good mood to let us know they were going to come. Emma called few hours before to say that Neal is coming too. So how about Regina?" Mary Margaret asked. Her happy energy faded a bit when she asked the question.

Henry grinned. "She's coming. Operation Turkey was a success!" he cheered.

"Yeah yeah, come help us make a shopping list," David said smiling.

"This is going to be the best Thanksgiving ever!" Henry said with a completely serious grin on his face. Mary Margaret looked at David.

"It's certainly going to be the most interesting Thanksgiving ever," David said chuckling.


	3. Get This Party Started!

**Thanks again for all of the reviews! Now we finally get to see what happens when you stick the whole Charming Clan in room. This one's a bit shorter than the other two, partially because I think the next one will turn out to be pretty long. Speaking of, I will be out of town this weekend, so it may take a little longer than usual for the next chapter, but I promise it will be worth it. Enjoy!**

* * *

Thanksgiving Day

"What time will everyone be here?" Mary Margaret asked, sticking the turkey in the oven. Looking at the clock in the kitchen, it was almost 3:00.

"Well, we told everyone 3," David said before hearing a knock on the door. "Speak of the devil," he muttered. David shared a glance with Mary Margaret, both a bit nervous about how this would turn out. David was convinced it would go over great or someone would end up dead.

"I bet it's Belle and Mr. Gold," Henry said, sitting up from his previous position of laying down on the couch. The storybook was on the coffee table.

"My money's on Regina. She seems like the kind of person to show up early. I think Gold will show up at 3 o'clock exactly," Emma argued as she opened the door. "Hey Regina," she said with a smirk. She turned around to see Henry stick his tongue out at her.

Regina gave Emma a puzzled look. "Hello Ms. Swan," she greeted politely. Emma moved aside to let her in.

David and Mary Margaret stepped out of the kitchen to greet their guest. "Regina," Mary Margaret greeted, a bit of surprise in her voice. She didn't expect Regina to be the first person to arrive. David gave Regina a small nod. "Hey," he said cautiously.

Henry was the first person to break the silence that followed. "Hi mom!" he said, giving Regina a hug.

A look of shock initially passed over Regina's face before a small smile took its place. "Hello Henry," she said. "I must be the first one here," she mused. Suddenly Regina wished she hadn't arrived so early. The household was in the awkward silence she was trying to avoid.

Emma closed the front door and faced the queen and mayor. "Yeah," she said, not knowing what else to say.

This time, it was Regina who broke the silence. "Have you put the turkey in yet?" she hesitantly asked Mary Margaret.

"Y-yes, we just put it in," Mary Margaret stammered.

"Do you mind if I help with dinner?" Regina asked cautiously.

"No, not at all," Mary Margaret said graciously as she led Regina into the kitchen.

Emma glanced over at David. "That went well," she said sarcastically.

"Considering no one's dead and there wasn't even a death threat, I think it went very well," David said bluntly. This earned a small chuckle from Emma. As the clock chimed 3, they heard a knock on the door.

"And that would be Gold, right on time as usual," Emma muttered opening the door again. Sure enough, the brown-haired beauty and grouchy older man were waiting for her. "Hey you two. You got here at a good time," she said, gesturing towards Regina in the kitchen.

Gold raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize Ms. Mills would be joining us," he said quietly.

"Well, technically she's part of Henry's family," Emma said shrugging.

Belle tugged at Gold's elbow and walked inside the Charming Residence. "Thank you for inviting us," she said smiling.

"You've never been in here before right? Henry and I will show around," Emma said to Belle, grabbing Belle's hand before she had chance to object. Gold watched them disappear upstairs with a puzzled look on his face. He wondered what they were up to.

"What were you doing in Granny's the other day?" David asked after a moment. The whole affair seemed a bit secretive, plus it gave them something to talk about. Gold smiled.

"You'll find out soon enough," Gold said. David raised an eyebrow. "I'm impressed Ruby didn't say anything," he added.

"You and me both. She said she was sworn to secrecy," David admitted. As if to spare them from having to come up with another topic of discussion, someone knocked on the door. David opened the door to see Neal standing there.

"Um…hey," Neal said, running a hand through his hair. David wasn't exactly the first person he wanted to see. And the second person he laid eyes on wasn't ideal either. "Hey," he said cautiously to Mr. Gold.

"Hello," Gold said hesitantly. When he saw Regina here he had a feeling Neal would show up sooner or later. Gold just assumed it would be later. He heard footsteps coming downstairs.

"Hey Neal," Emma said. Henry and Belle followed behind her. Both of them gave Neal a small wave. Neal raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't say my papa would be here," Neal said calmly, but bluntly.

"Technically I said it was going to just be family, and I told who I knew would be there. We hadn't asked Gold when I talked to you," Emma said truthfully.

"And you know as well as I do that he's family too," David pointed out to Neal.

At that moment, Regina and Mary Margaret stepped out from the kitchen. "Hello you three," Regina said when she saw Belle, Gold, and Neal. "Nice of you to join us," she added.

"All right, we should start working on dinner now," Mary Margaret said pleasantly. "So, who in here can cook?" she joked

"Well, I can make a mean apple turnover," Regina teased with a smile. Mary Margaret and David gasped, and Emma's eyes widened. None of them could believe she brought that up. Henry laughed while Belle and Neal shared a confused glance.

"She put Henry in a coma with one of those. It was a quip," Gold explained to Belle and Neal.

Regina laughed. "I can make an apple pie instead if you'd like," she teased once more. Mary Margaret frowned. Regina's smile disappeared. "No apples then? Look, I'm not going to poison anything," she said. She was met with raised eyebrows from Emma and Mary Margaret. It was Henry that came to her rescue.

"All right, let's get cooking!"


	4. Cooking Blues

**I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews, favorites, and follows! Just a heads up, my family typically does Thanksgiving lunch rather than dinner, so I apologize if the timing for anything seems off. This one is a longer one, and probably my favorite so far, plus I've gotten it done a few days earlier than I thought I would! You'll see Neal and Charming more in the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

"All right, how well can everyone cook?" Regina asked, trying to figure out what she had to work with. She knew she had herself and Mary Margaret for certain.

"I learned back in the Enchanted Forest. I can't do much with this world's technology but Rum can help me with that," Belle said. She found that Gold always explained the peculiar things found in this world best.

"I can cook a bit," Emma said, obviously lying. Mary Margaret raised an eyebrow, but decided she wouldn't stop her from helping.

"Me too," Neal said, surprising almost everyone in the room.

"The kitchen's a bit small. Why don't you keep David company out here? He burns boiling water," Emma said to Neal, trying not to make it obvious that she didn't want Neal in the kitchen.

Neal took the hint. "If you say so," he said.

"Well, get going!" Emma said, chasing them out into the living room. Regina raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know you could cook Miss Swan," Regina said.

"I thought you couldn't," Mary Margaret added.

Emma shrugged. "There's a first time for everything," she said.

Regina wasn't convinced, but addressed the kitchen crew. "All right, time to get to work. Emma you have the macaroni and cheese. Belle, bread. Henry, you can go join David and Neal, and take your grandfather with you. Mary Margaret and I will take care of the rest," Regina said, her inner queen and mayor coming out.

"Actually, do you think they could stay? I could use some help with this world's technology," Belle admitted.

"We'll help! I've always wanted to help make Thanksgiving dinner," Henry said. Gold let out a small chuckle.

"We?" he asked Henry with a smirk.

"Oh come on Rum, it'll be fun," Belle said with a smile and Gold sighed.

"I suppose I could help," he said with a small smirk. Belle grinned and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you," Belle giggled. Regina let out a small chuckle.

"Rum? She has you wrapped around her little finger," Regina said with a smile as Belle and Gold both turned a dark shade of red. Regina found it hard to believe that this was the same dark one that created the curse. "Well what are you waiting for? We haven't got all day," Regina added. And with that, everyone jumped to work.

"So what kind of bread are we making?" Henry asked Belle. Belle gave him a puzzled look in response. "We bought a few different types of bread. We have crescent rolls, biscuits, and dinner rolls. Or, we could make some biscuits from scratch," Henry suggested.

"How much of each do we have?" Gold asked. Henry was surprised that Gold of all people asked the question.

"Um, I think one of each," Henry said.

"If that's the case it would best to fix all of them," Gold said. He knew one bag of rolls would not be enough for this family.

"All right. Belle, do you want to help me with the crescent rolls? Those are my favorite," Henry said to Belle as he dug through the freezer for the bread.

"Sure," Belle said smiling. "What are crescent rolls?" she asked.

"You'll see," Henry said grinning. Gold watched them with a smile on his face. He couldn't believe that a few months ago he planned on killing this boy. Fortunately, the undoing Henry caused was not Gold's death, but the loss of his powers as the dark one, something that was probably best for everyone. He was snapped out of his thoughts by Henry. "Hey, can you help me open this?" the boy asked.

"Of course," Gold said, effortlessly snapping open the can of crescent rolls. "Here you go lad," he said smiling. Apparently his smile was contagious because Henry grinned as well.

"Thanks," Henry said. He unrolled the dough and looked at Belle. "It's really simple. You roll the big end towards the little end like this," he explained, demonstrating as he spoke. "Got it?" he asked.

"I think so," Belle said. As she started to roll the dough, Henry noticed a diamond ring on Belle's left hand, on her ring finger.

"Is that-" Henry started excitedly before he saw a Belle press a finger to her lips.

"You'll see," Belle said mimicking the words he told her. Henry looked up at Gold who feigned innocence, though Gold couldn't hide the smile on his face.

"You'll find out at dinner," Gold said simply.

"Shit!" a voice muttered from behind them. The three of them turned around to see Emma standing over the stove, holding a pot of burnt macaroni. Emma looked sheepishly at three sets of puzzled eyes. "I think I could use some help," she admitted.

"Rum can help you," Belle said, receiving a raised eyebrow from Gold. "Henry and I can take care of the bread. Plus, he's a little young to help with macaroni and I have no idea how to make it," she pointed out.

"And I do?" Gold asked with a smile, before letting out a quiet chuckle. "All right Miss Swan, let's see what we can do," he said, giving Belle a quick kiss on the forehead before joining Emma. "How did you manage to do this?" he asked in disbelief when he saw the extent of the damage. Emma groaned.

"I know, I screwed it up," Emma admitted. Gold assessed the situation.

"We'll have to start from scratch," Gold decided. "Let's get another pot of water to boil," he said.

"And what do you know about cooking?" Emma questioned. Gold laughed.

"Apparently more than you," he joked. "Speaking of, what are you doing in here if you can't cook?" he asked.

Emma sighed. "Neal's thinking about leaving," she admitted. Her confession struck a nerve in Gold. "We're trying to get you and him to reconcile. We hope that if you do he'll decide to stay," Emma explained. Gold remained expressionless. "We wanted him out of the kitchen so that he could practice on David," Emma finished. It took a moment for Gold to gather his thoughts.

"Does he know?" Gold asked.

"Of course not. He had no idea you were even coming," Emma said bluntly. "You will talk to him right?" she asked. Gold paused.

"I want to," he started hesitantly. "But I don't know if he's ready to forgive me," Gold admitted. Emma felt a stab of sympathy for the former dark one.

"You two need talk. He's your son. Whatever happened in the past may have hurt, but in the end you two are family. And you two are a part of this family, as screwed up as it may be. If you give up on him now you'll regret it for the rest of your life and this time you won't be able to fix it. I know he wants to talk to you, he just doesn't know how. So you have to be the one to make the first move. Do that, and everything will work out," Emma said, mentally adding a hopefully. Gold sighed.

"Thank you. I know you aren't doing this for me, but still. Thank you, Emma," he said. He rarely called her Emma, preferring Miss Swan, but "Miss Swan" didn't convey the gratitude he felt. His thanks caught Emma off guard. Emma was spared having to respond by a cheerful voice.

"How's the macaroni coming?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Crap," Emma muttered. "We're, uh, working on it," she replied.

"Well hurry it up," Regina said. "Please," she added when she received a warning look from Mary Margaret. "Sorry," she apologized to Mary Margaret once she saw Gold and Emma join forces on the macaroni. Mary Margaret sighed. Both returned to the sides they were working on in an awkward silence. "I really am sorry," Regina said after a moment.

"Oh, it's not a big deal. I'm trying to figure out why Emma wanted to help in the first place," Mary Margaret admitted.

"That's not why I apologized," Regina admitted. "I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for trying to kill you and your husband, well, multiple times. I'm sorry for my mother and for returning to her. I'm sorry for casting the curse that brought us here. I'm sorry for everything," Regina said, a heartfelt confession. Mary Margaret sighed.

"And sometimes sorry just isn't enough. I'm sorry for Daniel and Cora, but that won't bring them back, just like apologizing won't give me a chance to raise my daughter or take away the pain we've all suffered," Mary Margaret said, many of the wounds still fresh despite how long ago they occurred. "But seeing as we're family and have both hurt each other, I think it is time to finally forgive. Not forget, but forgive," Marry Margaret added after a moment, forcing a small smile at her stepmother. Regina gave a tentative smile.

"In a different world me might have been able to be friends," Regina noted sadly. She remembered their first meeting, how much she liked the little girl she saved from a runaway horse.

"So why not this world?" Mary Margaret asked. At that moment, Regina knew that everything was going to work out. They had a lot of work ahead of them, but one day they might finally be able to be friends.

"I think I would like that," Regina admitted, giving a real smile for the first time in a long time.


	5. Neal Power

**Did you miss Neal and Charming? Well, here they are, bonding over...football? The first part of this takes place at the same time as the last one. This turned out longer and a lot better than I thought it would. As always, thank you all for the favorites, follows, and reviews. Enjoy!**

* * *

Meanwhile

David and Neal sat on opposite sides of the living room. They sat in an uncomfortable silence, both hoping the other would speak first. David finally grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV, switching to the Dallas Cowboy football game that was about to start.

"Are you a Cowboy fan?" Neal asked.

"Not really," David admitted. The silence resumed. After the kickoff, David looked at Neal. "So I hear you're leaving," he said finally. Neal nodded.

"Yeah," Neal admitted. David frowned.

"So you're running away again," he said in a blunt manner that reminded Neal of Emma. Neal flinched at the implications of cowardice. He was not a coward; his father was the coward. Neal kept telling himself that but he was finding it harder and harder to convince himself. David sighed. "Look, I know you have issues with your father-"

"Do you? Just what do you know about me?" Neal interrupted impatiently.

"I know you're Rumpelstiltzkin's son and I know what kind of person he was in our world. And I know you're Henry's father and that you abandoned my daughter Emma. Other than that absolutely nothing," David said.

"I don't even know how my father turned out in our world," Neal admitted. "But he wasn't always like that. He was a loving father, no different from you even though I spent a lot of my childhood without my mother. I was his whole world. And then, the ogre wars came along. Rather than let me be drafted to die in the war, my papa became the dark one. As time passed, he started being... a bit overprotective. If I suffered even a minor injury he would kill the person responsible. One day, the blue fairy offered me a magic bean that would take us to a world without magic. A place where I could have my father back. I made a deal with him, that he would come with me to this world. When I opened the portal, he broke his deal. He chose his powers as the dark one over his own son," Neal said. His tone started off nostalgic, turning into bitterness by the end of the tale.

"The bean brought you here," David said, digesting the story he just heard. Suddenly, the dark one's strange silence when he took him away from his mother made sense. Gold knew what it felt like to lose a son.

"Neverland actually. I spent a few centuries there. I met Hook, the lost boys, and learned how to fly. This world would call me Peter Pan," he said chuckling. "Eventually, the magic reminded me too much of my father, and I found my way here," Neal finished.

"What happened between you and your father is between the two of you. You need to talk to him," David said hesitantly. Neal raised an eyebrow. "While we were still under the curse, there were a lot of things I didn't say or do that I would have regretted for the rest of my life if Emma hadn't broken the curse. If I still had to live with what I wouldn't say I would be absolutely miserable right now. You both have been carrying this regret around for centuries. You two have to face it or you will never be completely happy," David added sympathetically.

"And here I was thinking you didn't like me," Neal said chuckling. David laughed.

"Oh, I don't like you much. Mostly because of what you did to Emma," he admitted.

"How much do you know about that?" Neal asked. Emma knew everything, but he didn't know how much she told her parents.

"The bare minimum," David said.

"Well, you know we met when she tried to steal the car I had stolen," Neal said chuckling. He remembered that fateful day. "We became...involved. One night, I was approached by a man who knew who I was. His name was August. He told me about Emma's destiny and I panicked. Of all the people in this world, I happened to meet the one person connected to our world. August told me about the curse. Knowing my father was here, I freaked out and I ran. I had know idea Emma was pregnant," Neal explained.

"Would you have still run if you knew?" David asked. He had other questions, such as how August knew who Neal was, but this was the most important question to him. Neal thought for a moment.

"She had a destiny to fulfill. Emma had to break the curse. Would she have been able to do that if I stayed with her?" Neal retorted. "But to answer your question, no, I wouldn't have. I spent centuries without a father. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I abandoned Henry," he said with a sudden realization. "I won't leave him the way I was left," Neal firmly decided. David smiled, and they heard the crowd cheer as Dallas scored a touchdown.

"You know, you're not that bad after all," David said. Neal smiled.

"David? Can you come here? We need some help in the kitchen," Mary Margaret called to them.

"Well, duty calls," David said standing up. "It was nice talking to you," he admitted.

"Same," Neal said smiling.

"Neal? Do you think you could help me set the table?" Belle asked.

"Sure," Neal said, standing up to help the beauty. He couldn't figure out how she ended up his father. Belle seemed sweet and good especially compared to Gold. Then again, he didn't know his father's girlfriend very well. He shuddered at the thought of considering Belle as his father's girlfriend.

Neal walked into the dining room to see Belle waiting for him. "Do you set the table for Thanksgiving dinner the same way you do for any other meal?" she asked.

"Sort of. Haven't you had Thanksgiving dinner before?" Neal asked, puzzled. Belle shook her head.

"I was Regina's prisoner when the curse struck. I spent my time in Storybrooke stuck in an asylum under the hospital, so I'm still learning about this world's technology and traditions," she explained.

"You spent 28 years in an asylum? And why were you Regina's prisoner? I thought you and my papa were, you know," Neal said confused.

"That's a long story," Belle admitted.

"Well, we've got a big table to set," Neal said, curious about this woman's past with his father.

"I suppose I should start with how I met Rumple," Belle started. "It was during one of the ogre wars. We were desperate to stop them, and my father called upon the dark one. He appeared and agreed to rid us of our ogre problem in exchange for a caretaker," she continued.

"In exchange for you," Neal said immediately. "And your father agreed?" he asked, incredulous.

"Oh, my father and fiancé refused to accept the deal. I chose to go with him to save my people," Belle said with a small smile. Neal couldn't help but admire the bravery of the young woman in front of him.

"You chose to go with him," Neal repeated, still not quite believing what he heard. Belle nodded.

"I spent a few months in the Dark Castle. I started getting to know the "beast" that everyone feared. One day, I asked him about some child's clothing I found in the castle. He told me he had a son, and that he lost him. He sent me out for some fresh straw, promising to tell me about you when I returned, knowing good and well that I would not come back. And I almost didn't," Belle admitted.

"So what changed your mind?" Neal asked.

"Regina," Belle said simply.

"The evil queen?" Neal asked, confused.

"She told me that true love's kiss would break any curse. By that point, I was pretty sure I had fallen in love with your father. I returned to the castle to find out if I had and if he loved me as well," Belle said.

"True love's kiss didn't work because his abilities were not a curse," Neal deduced. Belle gave him a wry smile.

"He was spinning straw when I returned. I sat down beside him to hear your tale, but he didn't tell me much. Rum asked me why I came back, so I told him I wasn't going to but something changed my mind. And then I kissed him. He starting looking like a man again; true love's kiss was working," Belle continued.

"So what happened? If the kiss worked then why...sorry, I'll let you finish the story," Neal said chuckling. To think that his father had managed to find true love...

"He completely freaked out. He assumed it was a trick from the queen, and he even told me that no one could ever love him. Rum tossed me into the dungeon, and the next time I saw him he told me to leave. I called him a coward and he said that he loved his power more than me. Anyway, I left him. I went on an adventure or two before I decided to go back. I wasn't going to give up on him without a fight. Unfortunately, Regina found and captured me because of my connection to the dark one. I stayed her prisoner until the curse hit and I wasn't freed until right before Emma broke the curse," Belle said, finishing her tale.

"He still chose power over you?" Neal asked. He thought his father had changed.

"He chose you actually," Belle said, much to Neal's surprise. "He needed his powers as the dark one to create the curse so that he could find you," she explained with a wry smile.

"Almost everything I've done since I broke our deal has gone towards finding you," Gold said, surprising both Belle and Neal, who didn't know he was there. "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop," he said. Belle smiled.

"Well, I'm going to see if they need any help in the kitchen," she said, leaving the father-son pair alone.

"You're lucky to have her," Neal noted. Gold chuckled.

"I don't deserve her," he admitted.

Neal chuckled. "You don't," he agreed. "And yet here you both are," Neal said.

"Here we are," Gold agreed softly. He sighed. "I know it's a bit late, but I am truly sorry about that day. Not a day has gone by that I don't wish I could change that. I never should have let you go," he confessed.

"But you still did. You chose your power over your own son," Neal said bitterly.

"Bae-"

"You can't deny it," Neal said.

"No, I can't," Gold said sadly.

"But in the end, was it really a bad thing?" Neal asked. Gold looked surprised. "I mean, I grew up without a father and ended up in this strange world alone. But if you hadn't let go of me, would you have met Belle? I know I wouldn't have met Emma, and Henry wouldn't exist," Neal said. He resented his father for letting him go, but things would be completely different if he hadn't.

"If I hadn't, Cora would not have learned magic, Regina would never have turned evil, and everyone would have been spared the agony of the curse," Gold retorted.

"But everything worked itself out in the end. I'm ready to forgive you. But are you ready to forgive yourself?" Neal asked. Gold was shocked.

"Oh Bae," Gold said hugging his son. Tears were threatening to pour from his eyes.

"I love you papa," Neal said, also near tears. That broke the dam Gold had built up and tears started rolling down his face.

"I love you too son," he choked.


	6. Let's Eat!

**It's finally here…the actual dinner! I keep trying to put more Snowing in, but the others are so much more fun to write, especially Neal (There's a reason the last chapter is named Neal Power!), plus my inner Rumbelle fangirl keeps taking over. I only have one more chapter planned, so this is almost the end! This chapter's the longest yet, so enjoy!**

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It was the part of the evening that most families looked forward to on Thanksgiving. For this family, however, it meant sitting around with former enemies and strangers, possibly starting a war in front of the only person that held them together. No one knew if they would survive the evening. Yes, this family dreaded what other families waited all year for.

Thanksgiving Dinner.

The different parts of the family grouped together. They sat Mary Margaret, David, Emma, Henry, Neal, Mr. Gold, Belle, and Regina, and began the meal in silence. Food was passed around wordlessly, as if everyone was afraid to make conversation. Henry in particular was saddened by the silence. He wanted to break the silence, but wasn't sure how. He looked across to Belle, hoping she would help him.

"Oh! I almost forgot," Belle exclaimed suddenly. A huge smile spread across her face. "Rum and I have an announcement to make," she said, sharing an excited look with Gold. Belle paused for a moment. "We're getting married!" she finished, her happiness and excitement contagious. Gold gave a wry smile.

Mary Margaret gasped. "Congratulations!" she said whole-heartedly.

"Does this mean I have to call you stepmother now?" Neal joked to Belle.

Regina raised an eyebrow. "I thought you knew that stepmothers were evil. Haven't you ever read a fairy tale?" she asked Neal teasingly.

"You're the last person I ever thought I'd see making stepmother jokes," Gold said chuckling.

"You're the last person I ever thought I'd see in love," Regina retorted. She tried hiding a grin but failed miserably.

"Touché," Gold said smiling.

"So how did you ask her?" David asked. Suddenly it dawned on him. "That's what you were doing at Granny's wasn't it?" he asked, receiving a nod in response.

"What does Granny's Diner have to do with a marriage proposal?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow. Belle and Gold laughed.

"Well, as you all know Belle spent her time in Storybrooke locked up," Gold started, taking time to glare at Regina. Belle gave him a playful swat, causing most of the table to chuckle. "When the curse was broken and we were reunited, she knew nothing about this world at all. After I admitted why I had created the curse we decided to take things slow. Our first, well, date you could call it was over some hamburgers at Granny's. A date that someone interrupted," he continued, once again glaring at Regina. "I'd wanted to propose to Belle for a few months now, but I couldn't figure out how. I asked Ruby about it since she and Belle had become good friends, and she suggested I go the sentimental route. So, I ordered two hamburgers and surprised Belle at library for lunch," Gold finished.

"How long did it take you to get on one knee?" Regina asked with a smirk. Gold frowned, not amused by the queen's humor, causing Regina to give an exasperated sigh. Belle decided to finish the tale.

"He also brought a copy of Beauty and the Beast, which I thought was hilariously appropriate for us. When I opened the book, I saw the ring in it. Then he asked me to marry him, and I said yes," Belle said smiling.

"He actually had the courage to ask you?" Neal asked jokingly. Gold frowned. Belle on the other hand smirked, already knowing how to get back at Neal for that jab.

"Of course. We "celebrated" afterwards," Belle said placing enough emphasis on celebrated to make sure Neal knew exactly what she meant. Gold nearly choked on his wine and Neal's eyes widened. Regina, David, and Mary Margaret laughed.

"Nice to know that we aren't the only parents that manage to scar our fully grown child," David remarked to Mary Margaret.

"Yeah, that's a little more than I wanted to know," Neal said.

"At least you haven't walked in on them," Emma said gesturing towards Mary Margaret and David. She remembered that day, especially since Henry was with her.

"Well it's nice to see True Love prevailing," Mary Margaret said, suddenly remembering the Henry was present and that some things were better not being discussed in front of him.

"Did you ever have a true love?" Henry asked Regina, mostly oblivious to the conversation around him. Regina flinched, caught off guard by the question. She hesitated before answering.

"Once. Back in the Enchanted Forest," Regina said. "His name was Daniel," she added softly and sadly. Both Mary Margaret and David gave her a look of sympathy, and Mary Margaret reached for her hand across the table. Regina took her hand, a bit surprised.

"What happened to him?"

The question came not from Henry but from Belle. Henry knew the story both from the storybook and from when Daniel was revived by Frankenstein. He hadn't realized that Regina had been in love with Daniel.

"He died. My mother ripped his heart out and crushed it in front of me," Regina said, keeping her emotions in check. Belle scolded herself for her insensitivity.

"I'm sorry," Belle apologized.

After a moment of silence Neal spoke. "Speaking of mothers, what ever happened to mom? How did she die?" Neal asked his father. Belle braced herself knowing this would not turn out well. Gold sighed and decided to tell his son the truth.

"She ran away with a pirate by the name of Killian Jones. You probably know him better as Hook," Gold started. Shock filled Neal's eyes. "Sometime after you and I were separated I came across Hook again. He had a magic bean, so I cut off his hand to get it. Anyway, I found Milah there with him. When she left, I believed she had been kidnapped. Turns out she left of her own free will," he continued. He paused before he finished. "So, I ripped her heart out and crushed it," Gold admitted. Neal was silent.

"I thought ripping people's hearts out was Regina and Cora's thing," Emma said, raising an eyebrow.

"Who do you think taught them?" Gold asked bitterly. He looked to Neal for a response. Neal sighed, not really knowing what to say. "I wish I could say I'm sorry about your mother but that would be a lie," he admitted.

"She shouldn't have left," Neal started. "But you shouldn't have killed her," he said glaring at his father before sighing. "Strangely, I don't think it matters. I've spent so long without her, so long knowing that she was dead that it almost doesn't matter how she died," Neal admitted. "But I never thought that you were the "Crocodile" that took Hook's hand. He never shut up about it," he joked, defeating the awkwardness temporarily.

"You'll have to tell us about Neverland," David said to Neal.

"Maybe another time," Neal said smiling. He wasn't quite ready to talk about his adventures in Neverland yet.

"We'd love to hear about it," Belle said smiling.

"Soon stepmother," Neal joked.

"So Neal, were you and Emma in love when you had me?" Henry asked suddenly. It seemed random to the others, but all the talk about true love and mothers made him curious.

Emma and Neal looked at each other nervously, each hoping the other would take the question. Emma sighed in defeat, knowing that she would have to be the one to answer. "We were, or at least I was," Emma admitted.

"We were," Neal confirmed.

"Are you still in love?" Henry asked. The rest of the table waited, curious for the response. Neither Neal nor Emma were willing to respond. They weren't sure how they felt at the moment.

"Why all the sudden questions?" Emma asked, avoiding his question. Henry shrugged.

"I'm just curious. If Neal loves you, he can't leave," Henry said, admitting his motives.

Emma chuckled. "Didn't stop him last time," she said, causing Neal to let out an exasperated sigh.

"Sorry about that okay? Besides, I'm not leaving. I decided to stay," Neal admitted. He received several smiles in response.

"Really?!" Henry asked. Neal nodded. Regina smiled.

"Anyone else have a tearful announcement to make?" She joked.

The room was silent in response. "Sounds like we're good," David said.

"That's a shame. I was wondering who would get a sibling first. My money's on Emma, but now I think Neal may get one sooner than I thought. I think Henry's stuck being an only child at the moment since his parents are acting like children that won't admit they like each other," Regina said smirking. She laughed as she looked at the various expressions around the room: shock from Mary Margaret and David, confusion from Henry, sheer horror from Emma and Neal, and strangely nothing from Gold and Belle. "What about you Henry? Emma, Neal? Who do you think will be expecting first?" Regina asked. This turned out to be a much better topic than she anticipated even if she was the only one saying anything. "In all seriousness though, what is everyone's thoughts on having children? I mean, we've already discussed love and marriage," she finished, completely sincere.

"We'd like to have more children," David admitted.

"Back in our world I always imagined having a big family," Mary Margaret said. "I mean, we've put that on hold for a moment until we decide if we're going to stay here or if we are going back to the enchanted forest," she added hastily, turning a light shade of pink. "But we do want more children, and we are planning on it," she said awkwardly, answering the queen's question.

"So how about you "Rum"?" Regina asked Gold, using Belle's name for him teasingly. "When do you plan on knocking your beauty up?" she joked. Belle looked down for a moment and Gold squeezed her shoulder supportively.

"I can't have children," Belle admitted. She was perfectly calm.

Mary Margaret gasped. "I'm so sorry," she said sympathetically. She remembered how she felt when King George tricked her into drinking the potion that made her barren.

"Don't be," Belle said, giving a small smile. "I have a stepson and a little grandson. Or step-grandson. Whatever Henry is to me," she said chuckling.

"Are you sure it's you that can't conceive?" Regina asked, looking at Belle's fiancé.

"Hello, remember me?" Neal asked, reminding Regina that Gold had no problems in that department.

"Anyways, it's not that big of a deal. I've never been able to picture myself as a mother. And if that changes, we can adopt. Plus, I have a feeling there won't be a shortage of children to spoil," Belle teased, looking at Mary Margaret and David.

"I certainly know my way around first-born children. Shouldn't be too hard to find one," Gold joked. He gave Belle a kiss on the cheek and a small, one-handed hug. Gold knew his fiancé didn't mind being infertile, but he knew she wasn't happy that it had been brought up.

"Maybe Mary Margaret and David will let you have one of theirs," Regina joked, and everyone laughed.

"You know, this has been surprisingly nice," Emma noted.

"And no one's dead," David said, pleasantly surprised. Regina frowned and Gold gave a fake look of shock.

"I have no magic. How could I kill anyone?" Gold asked innocently.

"Your cane," David, Emma, and Belle said at the same time, and they laughed.

"This little thing?" Gold asked, raising his cane above the table. "It's harmless," he protested.

"Tell that to Belle's father," Emma said.

"And to Hook," Belle added. Gold laughed.

"This apple pie is delicious," Gold noted, his comment aimed towards Regina.

Regina laughed. "That's because I poisoned it. It gives it such a sweet flavor," she joked. Mary Margaret even chuckled at that one.

"I'm listening to the evil queen crack jokes about poison apples over Thanksgiving dinner. What sort world is this?!" Mary Margaret joked.

"I think you mean family," Emma said smiling.

"Yeah, this family is certainly messed up," Neal said.

Henry looked from his parents to his paternal grandparents to his adopted mother to his maternal grandparents. "But that's what makes it so amazing," Henry said grinning.

The smiles on everyone's faces told him he was right.


	7. Not-Quite-Farewell

**Well, I originally planned for this to be the last chapter, but it sort of ran away from me so you get at least two more chapters! I'm not too happy with the way first part turned out because it feels like a bit of a cop out (something I really don't like), but by the time I decided I wasn't happy with it I was almost done with the chapter and decided to keep it in. This one's a little light on comedy until the end, but there will be plenty next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Mary Margaret stood up and looked at the surprisingly happy faces around the table. "All right, I think it's about time we cleaned up," she said. Everyone had finished eating a while ago, but the conversations kept them from getting up. Mary Margaret noticed everyone was starting to look a little tired, particularly Henry. She looked at the clock and was surprised when it read 11:00. Was it really that late?

"I'll help," David said standing up. To his surprise, everyone else stood up as well.

"We'll all help," Regina said smiling.

"Thank you," Mary Margaret stammered, a bit shocked. "The kitchen's a bit small though. It was hard enough fitting some of us in there to cook," she said laughing.

"Then let's get an assembly line going. Mary Margaret, David, Emma, and Henry can take the kitchen end since this is your house and you know where everything goes. The rest of us will bring you the dishes and leftovers," Regina suggested. She was met with no objections.

"That sounds fine," Mary Margaret said smiling. They split up into the two groups and got to work. The cleaning ended up taking very little time. Everyone sat in the living room with no one really wanting to leave.

"Belle, can I have word?" Regina asked. Belle was puzzled.

"Sure," she said hesitantly. Belle followed Regina into the kitchen. Regina looked out the door to make sure no one was eavesdropping. "You aren't planning on killing me are you?" Belle asked teasingly.

"No," Regina said absent mindedly. "Actually, I first want to apologize about kidnapping you in our world," she said. Belle raised an eyebrow.

"That was a long time ago and I've gotten over it," she said truthfully. "What do you really want to talk to me about?" Belle asked. Regina would have said something simple like an apology in front of everyone. Regina sighed.

"I also would like to apologize about bringing up children at dinner," Regina continued. Belle laughed.

"Why? You didn't know I couldn't have kids. Besides, as strange as it might sound I'm not surprised that someone brought children up, especially with all the talk of love and marriage. You said as much yourself," Belle pointed out.

"Do you want children?" Regina asked. Belle sighed.

"I believe I answered that at dinner," she said, not sure where Regina was going with this.

"You did answer. But I want the truth. The way your fiancé was acting made it seem like you weren't okay with being infertile," Regina said. "And how do know you are? Have you been to a doctor?" she asked. Belle sighed, not wanting to tell the story. She did however want to talk to someone about it, and eventually the latter won out.

"I found out I was pregnant about a month ago and I miscarried about week afterwards. We saw a doctor and that's when he told me I can't have children, at least not without a miscarriage occurring," Belle admitted, her voice shaking a little bit. She forced herself to calm down. "I think that's actually what really convinced Rum to finally propose. He wanted to show that that didn't matter to him, even though he hated not having the power to fix it," she finished.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked," Regina said sympathetically.

"No, it felt nice to actually talk about it," Belle admitted, her voice still a little shaky. "Besides, I asked you about Daniel at dinner," she pointed out.

"Yes, but that was ages ago, not a month ago," Regina said. She sighed. "You mentioned that you and Gold talked about having children. Was this before or after you found out you couldn't have children?" Regina asked.

"After," Belle said, not elaborating. Regina frowned.

"I take it you won't tell me what was said," Regina said. It wasn't a question.

"It's a bit private," Belle said coolly, giving Regina the answer she was looking for.

"I understand," Regina said kindly. She gave Belle a small smile. "I'm glad you talked to me," she said.

"I'm glad I talked to someone about it. But I have to say, I never thought it would be you I told," Belle admitted, giving a nervous laugh.

"Well, tonight's been full of surprises," Regina said smiling, and surprised Belle by giving her a hug. Belle felt something strange rushing through her veins, and knew what it was instantly thanks to her time with the Dark One.

It was magic.

Belle looked confused and stepped away from Regina. "What did-"

"Is everything all right in here?" Emma asked, stepping into the kitchen. "I thought I felt…something," she said. "Are you two okay?" Emma asked. Gold was right behind her. Regina smiled.

"Everything's just fine," she said. Emma and Gold didn't look convinced.

"Are you all right Belle?" Gold asked gently, but Regina detected the threat hidden in the words. The last thing Belle wanted was for fight to start.

"I'm fine. Regina and I are just talking," Belle said, her expression betraying nothing. "We'll be out in just a moment," she added, wanting to finish their little chat. Emma was the first to leave the kitchen. "Everything's fine," Belle said to Gold. Reluctantly, he left as well. Belle turned to face Regina. "What did you do?" she asked firmly.

"What do you mean?" Regina asked, seemingly oblivious.

"That was magic," Belle hissed, keeping her voice low to avoid being heard by any eavesdroppers.

"Was it?" Regina asked, pretending to be puzzled. "Consider it my apology for keeping you locked up for all those years," she said seriously. Belle looked confused for a moment until it just clicked.

"Did you just-" she started, the words refusing to form on her lips.

"It may be called dark magic, but it can be used for good," Regina pointed out. Belle had to admit she had a point.

"But all magic comes with a price," she said, repeating the words her fiancé had said many times to many different people over the years.

"A price that is my concern," Regina replied.

"Why-" Belle started.

"Because I wanted to," Regina interrupted. "Like I said, consider this my apology for what I did to you in our world. Besides, I'm supposed to be using my magic for good now. Your fiancé would have done it in a heartbeat if he still had magic, you even said as much," she pointed out. "This was why I wanted to talk to you. Listening to you talk about it I knew it really hurt you, more than you let anyone, even Gold, know," Regina admitted. "I also know what it's like to want a child you cannot have," she confessed remembering her time with Owen, the person that made her adopt Henry. Regina knew these were completely different events, but she sympathized none the less. The fact that she could help Belle with the magic she possessed made her happy.

"Thank you," Belle said seriously. Those two surprised Regina.

"You know, I can't remember the last time someone sincerely thanked me," Regina admitted. Belle placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Well, you better get used to it. We say "please" and "thank you" in this family," Belle said smiling. "Come on, we should join the others," she said gently after a moment. Regina started to follow her.

"Do you mind if we keep what happened quiet? I mean, I'm sure you'll tell Gold, but I'd like it if the Charmings didn't know quite yet. I don't want them to think I did it just so they would think I'm a good person," Regina said quietly. "And it's more fun when they aren't sure if I'm good or evil," She admitted. Belle laughed.

"Well, I can say for sure that you are good, and not because of what you just did. You've really changed. You're a completely different woman than the Evil Queen who kidnapped me just to get an advantage over the Dark One," Belle said. Once again, she caught Regina off guard.

"Thank you," Regina said sincerely as they walked back into the living room.

"Is everything all right?" Gold asked the moment he saw Belle. She smiled at him.

"Everything's just fine," Belle said kissing him. Neal looked away, and Emma felt a stab of sympathy for him.

"So what did you two talk about?" Mary Margaret asked, more curious than anything.

"I was explaining to Belle how being a stepmother works, so I gave her some tips on how to make Neal's life a living hell. Fortunately, she was able to learn from the best," Regina said smirking. Belle laughed.

"I told her I wasn't sure about the apple bit though. I prefer pears," she teased, going along with it.

"Well I'm sure Neal likes pears, but I don't think you're supposed to announce your fruity weapon of choice," Mary Margaret joked. Emma chuckled and David shook his head.

"Now you're making stepmother jokes too?" he asked incredulously.

"Have you heard the other jokes done tonight?" Emma asked bluntly. Neal laughed.

"So what haven't we joked about?" he wondered.

"I don't think I want to know," Emma replied.

"I think the only things we haven't joked about aren't safe for Henry's ears," Regina said smiling.

"Or mine," Emma and Neal said at the same time, causing the others to laugh.

"Speaking of Henry, it looks like the poor lad's asleep," Gold noted.

"Which means it's the perfect chance to play a game," Regina said smiling. The others looked at her incredulously. "What? I think it sounds like fun," she said.

"Well, I don't particularly want to leave yet. I'm having too much fun," Belle admitted. "And I think it would be a blast," she added, agreeing with the not-so-evil queen.

"What sort of game did you have in mind dearie?" Gold asked, genuinely curious.

"Just a little game called Truth or Dare," Regina said innocently.

"Really? That's something kids play," Emma protested.

"Well, it will give us a chance to ask the questions we couldn't when Henry was awake," Regina pointed out. "Plus I think it will be fun," she added. "We can make it less "little kiddish" if you want. Play it like truth or dare, but if someone asks a question that another person doesn't want to answer down a glass of wine. It's not like any of us will pick dare anyway," Regina suggested.

"I'm in," Belle said shrugging. It sounded pretty fun to her.

"Why not," Gold said.

"I think that sounds fun," Mary Margaret said smiling.

"I guess that means I'm in too," David said chuckling. Emma and Neal looked at each other before both sighing.

"Ah, what the heck," Emma said shrugging.

"What's the worst that could happen right?" Neal asked.

"Then it's settled," Regina said smiling.

"I'll grab the wine. David, why don't you grab some glasses and Emma why don't you get Henry in bed? I'm sure his bed's more comfortable than the couch," Mary Margaret said. She and David shortly returned to see everyone seated in the living room, so she and her spouse picked a spot and sat down after giving filling everyone's glass.

"I'll start," Regina said with a smirk that made her companions nervous.

And with that, the game began.


	8. Let's Play a Game

**Hello readers! I really like how this one turned out, and it's a long one too (almost 1000 words more than my next longest chapter!). Thanks again for all of the reviews, follows, and favorites! The next one is the last one (unless it runs away from me like the last chapter did), so I hope you enjoy!**

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"All right, I think we need to lay down some ground rules," Emma said, not giving Regina a chance to ask her question. "For starters, three of you are driving home tonight right?" she asked, looking from Neal to Gold to Regina, each of them nodding. "Then as sheriff, I'm afraid I'm going to have to limit you to one drink each," she said. All three of them frowned.

"That's hardly fair," Regina pointed out.

"Especially considering two of us have a few centuries of secrets and stories," Neal argued.

"Some of which should not be shared," Gold added.

"Well, then I guess you should use your drink wisely," Belle teased, giving Gold a playful kiss on the cheek.

"While we're at it, any other rules we need to put in place?" David asked.

"For starters, no question is off limits. If you don't want to answer just take a drink. And as for order, we'll go around in our little circle so everyone gets to ask the same number of questions," Regina said.

"And no asking a question that's already been asked. I know it seems like common sense, but we do have a few people in here that like to play dirty, plus that wouldn't be fair to our three designated drivers. Oh, and if a question is answerable by more than one person and the first person refuses to answer don't ask the other person," Mary Margaret said, trying to close any possible loopholes.

"Anything else?" Regina asked. The others looked at each other.

"Is dare still an option? This is starting to look more like a drinking game rather than truth or dare," Emma said. Regina thought for a moment.

"I suppose it is, but I wouldn't advise it Miss Swan," she said with a wicked grin. "Well, if no one has any objections, I would like to start with…Gold," Regina said, surprising no one.

"Ask away dearie," he said sighing.

"Relax, this is an easy one. When did you remember your fairytale persona? I talked to you during the first week of the curse and you didn't know who you were, but you told me your name around Valentine's day," Regina asked, explaining her question. She figured it would be best to start off with simple questions to warm everyone up.

"I remembered when Miss Swan told me her name," Gold answered. "It was something I built into the curse, and that's why I asked Snow White and Charming what they were going to name their child," he elaborated.

"See, that wasn't bad at all," Regina said smiling. "Your turn Mary Margaret," she added.

"Okay, um, my question is for Belle," Mary Margaret said. "Unless you'd rather do a dare," she added hastily.

"No, ask away," Belle said.

"All right. When did you realize you were in love Rumplestiltskin?" she asked. Belle thought for a moment.

"I'm not really sure," she admitted. "I think it was around the time I asked him about his son for the first time," Belle said decidedly.

David was next, and was unsure about who to ask. "I take it I can't pass," he joked. "Anyway, my question is for Neal," David said seriously.

"Shoot," Neal said.

"Do you still love Emma?" he asked bluntly. Neal froze. He was expecting the question, just not so soon in the game. Neal wordlessly downed his glass of wine, a little irritated that he was forced to do it so early. The entire group was surprised, and a silence fell over them.

"All right, I've got a question for Regina. Why did you name Henry Henry?" Emma asked, defusing the situation.

"I named him after my father. He died in our world before the curse hit," Regina said, not missing a beat.

"I believe she means that she needed his heart in order to enact the curse," Gold added, earning a glare from Regina.

"Well, my question is for Mary Margaret. Did you know that your daughter would be the savior?" Neal asked. Mary Margaret nodded.

"Yes. Your father is the one who told us. That's why we sent Emma to this world," she answered. Gold knew he was next and thought for a moment.

"My question is for Regina. How did you find out about Belle in our world?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"That's a fair question. You always were good about keeping mirrors covered so I couldn't spy on you. Unfortunately, she wasn't. Belle had a habit of talking to herself when she got ready, and I don't believe you ever warned her about mirrors. Then again, I don't think you planned on falling in love with her either," Regina said with a chuckle.

"I've got a question for Neal," Belle started, waiting to see if he would object. "What convinced you to stay?" she asked after receiving no objections.

"I realized that I didn't want to abandon Henry again. David was the first to hear my decision because that's when I finally decided to stay," Neal admitted. Everyone smiled for a moment before Regina started again.

"So, Emma-"

"Dare," Emma interrupted.

"Excuse me?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Dare" Emma repeated, refusing to budge on the issue.

"I warned you about that," Regina said with a smile that made Emma nervous. "Very well. Emma, I dare you to kiss Neal," she said smugly. Regina knew it was a juvenile move but didn't care. Emma and Neal looked shocked and horrified. The others were suppressing giggles. Emma frowned and, feeling flustered, turned to face Neal.

"I will get you back for this," Emma warned. Regina laughed.

"Oh shut up and kiss already. We all know you both want to," she teased. Emma sighed and decided to get it over with. She leaned and kissed Neal. Both sides started off tense and guarded, but soon they both melted into the kiss. Emma pulled away too soon and both she and Neal were breathless. As they faced the smiling faces around them, they both turned a dark red. Emma crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, leaning as far back as possible in hope that the others wouldn't notice how red she was. Neal nervously ran a hand through his hair and looked down.

"Happy?" Emma stammered, to which Regina just grinned.

"My question is for Emma, unless she'd rather do another dare," Mary Margaret said giggling. She continued when she received no answer. "Did you enjoy the kiss?" she asked, a playful grin on her face. Emma frowned and downed her drink. She assumed Mary Margaret would ask an easy question, not something like that. Based on the looks on David and Regina's faces, she wasn't alone.

"For Mary Margaret, when did you become such a matchmaker?" David asked with a smile.

"Since I decided I wanted more grandchildren," Mary Margaret said smiling, much to the horror of Emma and Neal. Everyone else just laughed.

"Belle, what did you and Regina talk about in the kitchen?" Emma asked, desperate to change the subject. She hadn't decided how to get back at Regina, but she was working on it. Belle downed her drink, causing several people to raise their eyebrows.

"It's not bad if that's what you think," Belle protested. "But I was sworn to secrecy and I plan on upholding my promise," she explained.

"I've got a question for my father. How many times have you been in love?" Neal asked. It was the first question that he could think of, and he thought he already knew the answer to it, so he was surprised to see his father flinch. Gold hesitated before answering. He thought about downing his drink, but knew he should use it later.

"Three times," Gold admitted, much to everyone's shock. He refused to tell anything else.

"You're going to have to do better than that," Regina said, as interested as everyone else.

"I don't believe I have to. I was only asked how many times I'd been in love," Gold pointed out. Regina frowned, knowing he was right. "Besides, I believe I have the next question. This one's for Belle. Will we ever find out what you and Regina talked about?" he asked, eager to change the subject.

"Yes. In fact, I'll tell you when we get home," Belle admitted. That piqued Gold's curiosity. "Now, back to the matter at hand. Who were the three women you've loved?" she asked, a small smirk on a face. She knew that Gold would have to answer. If he didn't, Belle knew she had asked a vague enough question for Regina to use her question to pry farther. Gold frowned.

"Now that's not fair," he protested, weighing the options, particularly noticing the way Belle asked question. "You've spent too much time around me," Gold noted, knowing they would find out whether he liked it or not. He sighed. "Well, as you all know, there is more than one type of love. We have familial love, physical love or lust, and true love. I thought I was in love with Milah, but I believe we all know how that turned out. I'm currently with my true love, Belle," Gold started. "But I fell in love with another woman before I met Belle, though it was more lust than anything. And I believe you all know, well, knew her," he admitted. A look of sheer horror crossed Regina's face when she realized who he was talking about.

"What?" Mary Margaret asked, confused. Everyone else shared her puzzled look.

"Her name was Cora," Gold finished, shocking and horrifying those that hadn't figured it out already.

"Regina's mother?!" David exclaimed as Mary Margaret gasped.

"The woman who tried to kill you after Hook stabbed you?" Neal asked, not believing his own ears. He looked at Belle to see her response. Belle was surprisingly calm.

"Why on Earth are you so relaxed?" Regina asked Belle. "I know you know who she is and what she is capable of. And yes, that's my question," she added.

"Well, for starters I never actually met Cora. I was in the hospital when she returned. Besides, it wouldn't be fair for me to get mad at Rumple for every little thing he did before I met him. And seriously, do you expect me to get pissed off because he's been in love with other women? I've known about Milah for a long time and I'm pretty sure he was with Cora before I was even born. I mean, the man's been alive for centuries. It's only natural that he'd fall in love a few times," Belle pointed out. "Besides, I know for a fact what he had with Cora wasn't true love" she added matter-of-factly.

"How?" Mary Margaret asked. "Oh, and like Regina, that's my question.

"Because true love's kiss can break any curse, and it considers the abilities of the Dark One to be a curse. I found that out when I kissed him in our world," Belle said.

"There's a reason I reminded you all about the different types of love before I told you about her," Gold pointed out.

"Here's a question for you Gold. If you and Regina's mother had a thing, could you be her actual father?" David asked.

"Cora and I originally had a deal where I would teach her magic in exchange for her firstborn child. When we fell for each other, we amended the "her" to "our". Seeing as how Regina grew up with Cora rather than me, the answer is no, I'm not her father" Gold answered.

"I've got another one for Gold. Why on Earth haven't you used your glass yet?" Emma asked. She decided that she didn't have to worry about getting Regina back for making her kiss Neal earlier; Gold took care of that.

"I'm saving it," Gold explained. "And when Neal started his question I knew everything would have to come out since I can only have one drink. These two over here learned how to find loopholes from the best" he admitted gesturing towards Belle and Regina. Belle smiled and Regina would have too if she wasn't still horrified by the earlier revelation.

"I'll try to avoid another question like that," Neal said chuckling. "Now, for David, what was your reaction to finding out my connection to Henry and my father?" he asked, shifting the conversation to a less awkward topic.

"Honestly, at first I was pissed. I mean, you knocked up my daughter and abandoned her. Finding out you were Gold's son really didn't help," David admitted.

"For Bae, do you know Hook?" Gold asked.

"We met in Neverland and spent a few centuries as enemies. Like I told David, just consider me Peter Pan and you get the idea," Neal said. Gold laughed at the irony of both him and his son becoming enemies with the same man without knowing it.

"Regina, if I had still been locked up when the curse broke, what were you planning on doing with me?" Belle asked.

"I planned on using you as a bargaining chip. If Cora had managed to find her way here I would have used you to get Gold to help me deal with her," Regina said. "Now Gold, there's one thing we're all dying to know. Boxers or Briefs?" she asked with a smirk. This was her revenge for Gold's previous revelation.

"Well wouldn't you like to know dearie. You could ask your mother if she wasn't dead," Gold said, a playful smile on his lips as he downed his glass of wine.

"It's a shame you decided to waste your drink on that question," Regina said gleefully. Her tone made Gold a bit nervous.

Mary Margaret giggled. "I know this is a bit of a personal question Emma," she started, causing Emma to brace herself. "But as your mother I have to know. Was Neal your first?" she asked. David, Emma, and Neal looked at her in horror. None of them could believe she asked that question. "We said that no question was off limits and besides, I'm sure Emma knows more about our sex life than she'd like to know," Mary Margaret pointed out. Emma groaned and downed her drink.

"How about you Neal? Was Emma your first?" David asked. It felt less awkward to ask Neal, plus David knew he couldn't hide behind his drink.

"That's not fair," Neal pointed out before sighing. "No, she wasn't," he admitted, leaving it at that.

"So Regina, did you enjoy having Graham as your personal slave?" Emma asked with a smirk. Regina frowned. If she answered honestly she would seem like the Evil Queen but she couldn't lie. Reluctantly, she downed her drink, causing Emma to smile victoriously.

"Emma, what was the first thing that ran through your head when you found me in Manhattan?" Neal asked.

"You!" Emma admitted. "'You have got to be kidding me' was next once it clicked that you were Gold's son," she said.

"David, what ran through your head when I asked you for advice about love while we were searching for Belle?" Gold asked, receiving a few surprised looks.

"Gold asked you for dating advice?" Mary Margaret and Emma asked David at the same time. David laughed.

"Honestly? 'Is Rumplestiltskin asking me for dating advice?' ran through my head," he said.

"When did this happen?" Mary Margaret asked.

"While you two were still in the enchanted forest. He and Belle had hit a rough patch and she had disappeared. I was helping him look for her when he asked about how you and I made it work," David said. Regina smirked.

"The great Dark One asked for dating advice," she stated with a laugh. Even Belle couldn't help but giggle.

"Why on Earth did you ask that question?" Belle asked, giving Gold a playful nudge.

"I'd been wondering what he thought for a while, and I figured it was a better question than what some people have been asking," Gold admitted, taking time to glare at the rest of the company. Regina laughed.

"Gold, you talked about your three lovers earlier. So which one was best in bed?" she asked with a smirk. She laughed when she saw her question caught Gold off guard and Belle immediately blushed.

"I think you mean 'is'," Gold admitted, turning the same color as his fiancé. Neal would have been horrified if he hadn't seen it coming. He wondered why his father was surprised by the question.

"All right I think that's enough," Mary Margaret said giggling.

"You couldn't stop it before Regina asked her question?" Neal asked dryly.

"Where would have been the fun in that?" Regina teased.

"I think I've learned more about you people than I ever wanted to know," Emma said shaking her head.

"I think we all have," David said chuckling.


	9. That's All Folks!

**I'm glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter as much as I did! I could probably do a few more chapters on just the drinking game, but I have to save some of their secrets :P This is a short chapter, and the final one in this series. Enjoy!**

* * *

Before anyone could argue with Mary Margaret's decision, a pair of feet came down the stairs. "Crap, I can't believe I fell asleep! I hope they haven't left yet," Henry said to himself. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he was happy to see that the whole family was still there. "Good, everyone's still here," Henry said smiling.

"Oh? Did you have something planned lad?" Gold joked. Henry shook his head.

"No, I just wanted to see everyone before they left," he admitted.

"Then you're just in time," Regina said smiling. "It's about time I got home," she added, standing up.

"Me too. It's really late," Neal said chuckling.

"We should be getting home too," Belle admitted, standing up with her fiancé.

"We're gonna do this again right?" Henry asked. Despite the awkward silences and strange conversations, he had really enjoyed the evening. The adults looked around at each other before Mary Margaret spoke the words they were all thinking.

"Absolutely," she said giggling. Henry grinned. Regina walked over to him and gave him a hug.

"Goodnight Henry," she said smiling.

"Goodnight mom!" he replied. Regina turned to leave but Belle blocked her way to the door.

"Oh no you don't," Belle said smirking, before giving Regina a hug herself. "Thank you," she whispered into the taller woman's ear.

"That reminds me…" Mary Margaret started before joining in on the hug. "I hug my friends before they leave," she said giggling. Regina wasn't quite sure what to think and hadn't regained her composure when the two woman let her go.

"Um…thank you. Thank you for inviting me," Regina stammered. Mary Margaret smiled.

"Well I hope you have a good night Regina," Mary Margaret said cheerily.

"I already have. Goodnight everyone," Regina said smiling before she walked out the door.

Neal was the next to start to leave. He started towards the door but turned around immediately. "Emma, what do you say we grab lunch tomorrow?" he asked. Everyone smiled as they awaited Emma's answer.

"We were just going to grab some leftovers-" Emma started until Mary Margaret gave her a death glare. "But sure, why not?" she finished.

"Granny's at noon?" Neal asked.

"Sounds good," Emma said with a reluctant smile.

"Speaking of lunch, Neal, would you mind having dinner with us tomorrow?" Belle asked. Gold flashed her a thankful look for asking.

"Sounds perfect. What time do you two usually eat?" Neal asked.

"Around Seven. Does that work for you?" Belle asked.

"Yeah. That sounds great," he said smiling. Belle grinned and even Gold showed a small smile.

"Well, it's been nice having you," David admitted, shaking Neal's hand.

"Thanks for having me," Neal said smiling and shaking Mary Margaret's had as well. Henry was the next person in line. "Goodnight Henry," he said mussing the boy's hair.

"Goodnight dad," Henry said grinning. Emma was beside Henry and Neal offered his hand for a handshake.

"Goodnight Emma," he said shaking her hand. "Tomorrow. Noon. Granny's?" Neal asked, making sure she wouldn't forget.

"Yeah," Emma said a bit grudgingly. Neal walked over to his father and future stepmother.

"It's been nice getting to know you," Neal said, offering a hand like he did with Emma. Belle gave a playful smile before hugging him instead, much to his surprise.

"It's been nice getting to know you too," Belle said as she broke away. She had a huge smile on her face. Neal chuckled before turning to his father. Rather than offer a hand, he actually hugged him.

"Goodnight papa," Neal said.

"Goodnight Bae" Gold said, showing a side to him the Charmings had rarely, if ever, seen. "We'll see you tomorrow night?" Gold asked for the same reason Neal had asked Emma.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Neal said smiling. "Goodnight everyone," he said before leaving as well, leaving just the Charmings and Belle and Gold.

"I guess that's our cue," Gold said after a moment.

"Wait, we said we were going to do this again," Henry said, with a twinkle in his eye that reminded Belle of Henry's paternal grandfather.

"Go on," Gold said with a smile, wondering where the boy was headed with this.

"Well, how about Christmas?" He asked smiling.

"Christmas?" Belle asked, not knowing the holiday.

"It's a holiday in this world. There are presents involved and it's a time where families come together similar to Thanksgiving. It's December 25th, so it's next month," Gold explained.

"Though I don't know why you all celebrate it. It's a Christian holiday that doesn't exist in your world," Emma pointed out.

"We were cursed for 28 years. We formed a bit of an attachment to the strange traditions of this world," Mary Margaret said.

"I think it sounds like fun. Since you all held Thanksgiving I bet Rum and I could host this 'Christmas'," Belle said.

"I agree. We have a little more room at our place so everyone could stay over on Christmas Eve," Gold suggested.

"As in a sleepover?" Emma asked raising an eyebrow. Mary Margaret giggled and Henry snickered.

"I'm merely making a suggestion. That way everyone can drink as much as they like especially if Regina decides to start another drinking game," Gold pointed out. Emma had to admit he had a point. If Regina managed to convince them to play another 'game', she didn't want to be limited to one drink.

"I think it's a great idea," Mary Margaret said and David nodded in agreement.

"Then it's decided," Henry said grinning.

"Well, we can figure out details later," Gold said.

"Yeah, we really should be going," Belle said.

"Goodnight you two," Mary Margaret said smiling as they left the building.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Emma asked her father.

"This is going to be an interesting Christmas," David said chuckling. Henry stuck his tongue out at him.

"Well, I think it's going to be the best Christmas ever!"

**The End**

**Well that's it! I'd like to thank everyone for all of the favorites, follows and reviews! You all motivated me to actually continue and finish my first fanfiction, so thank you! I hope you all have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it. This story is done, but I already have another one brewing in my mind (in case the talks of Christmas didn't give it away). Any ideas? Leave it in a review! Since this my first fanfiction, I enjoy any critiques on things I could improve on. Thanks again!**


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